Halifax, the Capital of Nova Scotia, Canada Updated: 11/29/2014 About Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia , Canada. The largest urban area in the Atlantic provinces , Halifax looks out over one of the world's largest natural harbours and is an important seaport. Nature lovers will find sandy beaches, beautiful gardens and hiking, birding and beachcombing. Urbanites can enjoy the symphony, live theatre, art galleries and museums, and a lively nightlife. Halifax is an affordable city that provides a mix of Canadian history and modern living, with the constant influence of the sea. Location of Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is located in the centre of the east coast of Nova Scotia facing the North Atlantic Ocean. Area of the Halifax Regional Municipality 5,490.28 sq. km (2,119.81 sq. miles) (Statistics Canada, 2011 Census) Population of the Halifax Regional Municipality 390,096 (Statistics Canada, 2011 Census) Date Halifax Incorporated as a City Halifax was incorporated as a city in 1841.

In 1996 it was amalgamated with neighbouring communities into the Halifax Regional Municipality. Government of Halifax Halifax municipal elections are held every four years on the third Saturday in October. Date of the last Halifax municpal election: Saturday, October 20, 2012 Date of the next Halifax municpal election: Saturday, October 15, 2016 The Halifax Regional Council is the main governing and legislative body for the Halifax Regional Municipality. The Halifax Regional Council is made up of 17 elected representatives: the mayor and 16 municipal councillors. Trans Canada Trail Weather in Halifax Halifax weather is influenced by the ocean. Winters are mild and summers are cool. Halifax is foggy and misty, with fog on more than 100 days of the year, especially in spring and early summer. Winters in Halifax are moderate, but wet with both rain and snow. The average high temperature in January is 2°C (29°F). Spring comes slowly, and eventually arrives in April. It too brings rain and fog. Summers in Halifax are short, but beautiful. In July the average high temperature is 23°C (74°F).

By late summer or early fall, Halifax may feel the tail end of a hurricane or tropical storm. Nova Scotia | history - geography - province, Canada | Britannica.com Nova Scotia "Munit haec et altera vincit (One defends and the other conquers)" Provincial flower Time zone Atlantic (GMT − 4 hours) Nova Scotia, Canadian province located on the eastern seaboard of North America , one of the four original provinces (along with New Brunswick , Ontario , and Quebec ) that constituted the Dominion of Canada in 1867. Roughly 360 miles (580 km) long but not more than about 80 miles (130 km) wide at any point, the province comprises the peninsula of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island (separated from the mainland to the southwest by the narrow Strait of Canso ), and a number of small adjacent islands. Along the narrow Chignecto Isthmus , which seems to thrust the peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean , runs the province’s only land boundary, with New Brunswick to the west. Two arms of the Gulf of St.

Lawrence , the Northumberland and Cabot straits, separate Nova Scotia respectively from Prince Edward Island to the north and the island of Newfoundland to the northeast. To the east and south lies the Atlantic and to the northwest the Bay of Fundy . Halifax is the capital. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Harbour at Peggy’s Cove, N.S., Can. © Creatas/JupiterImages Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces (along with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island), and both its past and its present are tied closely to the maritime life of fishing , shipbuilding, and transatlantic shipping. It became the site of the first permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida when the French established a fur-trading post at Port Royal (near present-day Annapolis Royal) in 1605. Early explorers gave the area the name Acadia (French: Acadie), probably a corruption of the word used by the native Mi’kmaq. The province’s present name, which means “New Scotland” in Latin, was the result of brief Scottish claims to the region in the 1620s.

Area 21,345 square miles (55,284 square km). Pop. (2011) 921,727. Land Relief, drainage, and soils Nova Scotia’s upland regions reach a maximum elevation of more than 1,700 feet (520 metres) above sea level in the Cape Breton Highlands . The most important lowlands lie along the Bay of Fundy and the Minas Basin in the southwest and along the Northumberland Strait. Many of the tens of thousands of acres of marshland created by the tremendously high tides—among the highest in the world—of the Bay of Fundy have been turned to agricultural use by dikes, which were begun in the mid-17th century by the early French settlers, the Acadians. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Yarmouth Forests occupy about four-fifths of the land area. About one-quarter of the woodland is held as crown, or public, land. Softwoods are by far the most numerous, led by species of balsam, spruce, hemlock, and pine; birch and maple make up most of the hardwoods.

Animal life includes such game species as deer and moose and, among the birds, partridge, pheasant, and duck. People Population composition The Mi’kmaq people had occupied the area for centuries before the arrival of the first Europeans in the late 15th century. Primarily hunters and gatherers, the Mi’kmaq ranged over the Maritime Provinces and into the Gaspé Peninsula and later spread to Newfoundland and New England . Their Algonquian language is reflected in such Nova Scotian place-names as Musquodoboit, Pugwash, and Shubenacadie. Many of Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaq people now live on reservations. About one-eighth of Nova Scotia’s population is at least partially descended from the Acadian French, some of whom returned from exile after the end of French-English conflict in North America in 1763. Acadian communities , with a lively Acadian culture , are located in southwestern Nova Scotia and on Cape Breton Island. Most of the remaining people are descended from settlers from the British Isles and from what is now the United States .

In the second half of the 18th century, settlers from New England (known as Planters) and, later, American colonists loyal to Great Britain during the American Revolution (known as United Empire Loyalists) settled much of western and northern Nova Scotia, with scattered settlements elsewhere. Settlers from England (Yorkshire) and Scotland populated northern and eastern Nova Scotia; the Scots, who settled in substantial numbers in Cape Breton, gave the province a strong Gaelic culture. Irish migration, especially in the 19th century, greatly expanded the population of the Halifax region, among others. German immigrants in the 1750s founded the seaport of Lunenburg . Lunenburg, N.S., Can. © Creatas/JupiterImages Beginning in the 20th century, there were smaller migrations of Dutch, Italian, Polish, Arab, Chinese, South Asian, and other peoples, especially to the urban centres of Halifax and Sydney . The small black population in the province includes the descendants of slaves brought into the colony in the 18th century as well as the descendants of black loyalists; West Indian immigrants have bolstered the black population.

Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest English is the only spoken language of the vast majority of the people. Nova Scotians who speak only French are few. However, both Gaelic and the native language of the Mi’kmaq have experienced a renaissance in recent years. Approximately one-third of Nova Scotians are Roman Catholics; among the Protestant denominations, the United Church of Canada is the largest, followed by the Anglican and Baptist churches. Settlement patterns and demographic trends Urbanization was an important trend during the 20th century, but nearly one-half of Nova Scotians still live outside major population centres. The early European settlement tended to hug the coastline; the sea provided the main means of transportation, and the economy was based on fisheries, the fur trade, and farming. Yet even with the development of railways and better roads in the 19th and 20th centuries, the interior of the province has remained sparsely settled.

With the decline in the late 19th century of shipbuilding and shipping, the coal, steel, and textile industries drew workers to the major centres of Sydney and Halifax, while such smaller towns as Yarmouth , Windsor, Truro, and Amherst developed smaller-scale manufacturing and processing industries. The last century and a half has seen a major out-migration of Nova Scotians, first to New England and later to Ontario and the Canadian West. Skyline of Halifax, N.S., Can. © Creatas/JupiterImages Economy Nova Scotia has a diversified economy based on both land and sea resources. Traditional industries such as fishing, forestry, and mining are in decline, while tourism and other service industries are becoming much more significant components of the economy. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing Farming has tended to focus on dairy products, livestock, poultry and eggs, and fruit. Extensive forestry resources supply large pulp and paper mills, numerous sawmills, and the expanding Christmas tree and maple syrup industries. Related Topics Dalhousie University The catching, processing, and exporting of fish continue as important but declining industries. The near-complete destruction of cod stocks has decimated this traditional component of the fisheries.

However, lobster , scallops, and other shellfish, along with haddock and herring, remain important catches in Nova Scotian waters. Aquaculture is an increasingly significant facet of the fishing industry. Lobster fishing off the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Can. Eric Hayes/© Comstock Resources and power Mining is another major industry in Nova Scotia. Traditionally, coal was the leading mined product, but many coal mines closed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Salt and anhydrite production meet a wide demand, and the provincial gypsum deposits yield about three-fourths of Canada’s supply. There are significant resources of barite and construction materials, such as sand and gravel. The continent’s first tidal energy project, completed in 1984 near Annapolis Royal, harnesses the tides of the Bay of Fundy to enhance the province’s hydroelectric energy output. Natural gas is pumped from wells located off Sable Island and carried to the mainland via pipeline. Manufacturing, services, labour, and taxation Food processing, wood- and paper-related industries, metal production, and many smaller industries provide a solid manufacturing base to the provincial economy.

However, most of the labour force is employed in public and private services. Tourism is a particularly strong service industry, with more than a million people visiting the province each year. More than one-fourth of provincial workers are employed in knowledge-based service industries, such as telecommunications, computer technology, and education. In fact, more Nova Scotians work as teachers and university professors than as fish-processing, forestry, and construction workers combined. Also significant for the economy are several Canadian Forces military bases located within the province. Provincial income is derived from two main sources: various provincial taxes and fees and the federal government. Important taxes levied by the province include personal and corporate income taxes, a sales tax, and a fuel tax. Transportation and telecommunications Shipping remains a major enterprise in Nova Scotia. Point Tupper accommodates the world’s largest oil carriers, and Halifax, a railroad terminus and year-round ice-free port, has facilities for all types of vessels, including huge container ships. Other transportation needs are served by a network of paved highways, by a trucking industry that has largely displaced local rail service, and by an international airport at Halifax and several smaller airports.

Car and passenger ferries operate between Nova Scotia and ports in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the U.S. state of Maine . Ships docked in Halifax Harbour at Dartmouth, N.S. K. Wright/Comstock Nova Scotia has a highly developed, fully digital telecommunications system that features a provincewide fibre-optic network. Cellular telephone service and high-speed Internet access are widely available. Government and society Constitutional framework Nova Scotia’s governmental structure is similar to that of all Canadian provinces. A lieutenant governor appointed by the federal government serves as representative of the crown and titular head of state. The premier, who is the leader of the party in power in the provincial assembly, selects a cabinet from among the elected party. While judges of the province’s higher courts are federally appointed, the provincial government appoints judges to lower courts; judges normally serve until retirement. Government employees are recruited through a nonpolitical civil service. Since Canadian confederation there have been two major political parties in Nova Scotia: the Liberals and the Conservatives (later known as the Progressive Conservatives ). The New Democratic Party experienced dramatic growth in the late 20th century. Health and welfare In 1969 Nova Scotia joined the federal medical care program.

The premium is paid from the province’s general revenues, and insured services include all medically necessary procedures and care. The province provides facilities for mental health, dental care, tuberculosis control, and other public health services. Nova Scotia’s welfare services, similar to those in other provinces, cover old-age assistance, allowances for the blind and disabled, social assistance, social development, child welfare and adoptions, and services for single parents. Education The nondenominational system of compulsory, free public education, dating from the mid-19th century, provides Nova Scotians with high-quality education from kindergarten through grade 12. In areas of the province where demand is sufficient, education is available in French as part of the publicly funded school system. Higher education is offered by a system of technical schools and community colleges, as well as by the largest number of universities per capita of any province in Canada. Dalhousie University in Halifax is the largest; it offers a variety of programs, including law, medicine, nursing, and dentistry. Sainte-Anne University is Nova Scotia’s only French-language university. St.

Francis Xavier University , in Antigonish, has attracted international interest in its adult-education programs, while Acadia University , in Wolfville, has become a leader in Canada in the use of technology in learning. With many programs designed specifically for women, Mount Saint Vincent University, in Halifax, is the only university in Canada to make the education of women its focus. Cultural life The cultural life of Nova Scotia is rich and varied, reflecting both the cultural diversity of its people and the strong sense of its past. Traditional aspects of Scottish and Acadian culture are particularly vibrant. A number of provincial organizations do much to encourage cultural and artistic development. In the last decades of the 20th century a major revival of interest in Celtic music began, with singers and musicians (especially fiddlers) from Cape Breton becoming well known nationally and internationally. St. Francis Xavier University offers courses in Celtic studies, and the Gaelic College in St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, teaches Celtic piping, singing, dancing, and handicrafts. Clan gatherings take place annually at St. Ann’s to celebrate the Gaelic Mod, a festival of Highland folk arts. Children participating in a Highland dancing competition, Antigonish, N.S., Can.

Jan Butchofsky-Houser/Corbis Acadian culture, fostered by a French-language school system, French-language radio and television stations, and local festivals, remains an important part of the life of the province. The late 20th century witnessed a renewed interest in the culture and traditions of the Mi’kmaq. Nova Scotia’s black community has retained a strong sense of its own traditions as well. Major cultural institutions include the Neptune Theatre and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, both in Halifax, and the Nova Scotia Museum system. Live theatre flourishes in many centres in the province, especially during the summer months. Artists and writers have found the province both a congenial place in which to live and a stimulating climate in which to work. Several impressive historic sites belonging to Canada’s national parks system reflect the rich history of the region.

These include a reconstruction of the 1605 French habitation at Port Royal, the reconstructed fortress of Louisbourg , the Halifax Citadel, the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site at Baddeck (where the Scottish-born American inventor Alexander Graham Bell had a summer home), and the Grand-Pré National Historic Site in the Annapolis Valley (a centre of Acadian settlement and deportation in the 18th century). Another significant historic site is Old Town Lunenburg, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. In addition, there are a number of provincial museums, and most communities have museums reflective of local history. Restored fortress of Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. © E. Otto/Comstock Photofile Limited Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Kejimkujik National Park provide popular scenic and wilderness experiences. There is also an extensive system of provincial parks. Popular sporting and recreational activities include football (soccer), golf , hockey, kayaking and canoeing, walking, and gardening. There are a great many community newspapers and a number of local radio stations in the province.

The region also is well served by the provincial newspaper The Chronicle Herald of Halifax as well as by radio and television affiliates of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Canadian Television (CTV) networks. History After thousands of years of occupation by aboriginal peoples, the region came to the attention of Europeans, perhaps during the Viking voyages of c. ad 1000 and certainly by the late 15th century. The rich fisheries of the coast provided the major impetus for European involvement in the area. In the early 17th century, a group of French merchants led by Pierre du Gua, sieur de Monts, and assisted by the explorer Samuel de Champlain , established trading posts in the region; one founded at Port Royal (near present-day Annapolis Royal) in 1605 was the first permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida. In 1621 the English king James I granted the area to a Scottish nobleman, Sir William Alexander . This led to a brief, unsuccessful Scottish settlement at Port Royal (1629–32). French settlement at Port Royal, Nova Scotia, from a map by Marc Lescarbot, 1609.

Library of Congress, Rare Book Division For the next century and a half, the region was a focal point for French-English rivalry for control of North America. This struggle for control retarded European settlement of the region and greatly altered the lives of the French settlers, or Acadians. The territory passed back and forth between France and England until 1713, when one of the treaties of Utrecht conveyed mainland Nova Scotia to the English for the last time, although conflict continued for another 50 years. The French retained Cape Breton Island , where they built the powerful fortress of Louisbourg , which the English attempted to counter by the founding in 1749 of Halifax as the new administrative and military centre of their colony. In the 1750s the English expelled the Acadians from the region—an event romanticized and popularized by the New England poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his narrative poem Evangeline. Offers of free land attracted immigrants from the British Isles, the Germanic states, and New England; these newcomers gave the colony its first substantial Protestant population. By the time of the American Revolution , New Englanders constituted roughly two-thirds of Nova Scotia’s population.

In spite of some support for the revolution, the colony remained largely passive during the conflict, and approximately 35,000 loyalists immigrated to the province from the revolting colonies to the south. Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island had split off from Nova Scotia in 1769, and New Brunswick and Cape Breton followed in 1784; the last was reunited with Nova Scotia in 1820. In 1848 Nova Scotia became the first British colony in which the administration of government was responsible to the majority in the House of Assembly, the representative branch of colonial government. Despite opposition from some economic and political leaders, confederation with the colonies of New Brunswick and Canada (present-day Quebec and Ontario ) was carried out in 1867. As a separate British colony, Nova Scotia had prospered from its forestry, fisheries, and shipbuilding for the first two-thirds of the 19th century. Under the Reciprocity Treaty (1854) between the Canadian colonies and the United States, the north-south flow of commerce and Nova Scotia’s normal market and supply source in New England seemed secure.

The colony benefited further from the increased demand by both the North and the South of the United States during the American Civil War . However, the termination of reciprocity in 1866 and changing continental and world trade patterns eroded much of Nova Scotia’s traditional economy. The linking of Nova Scotia with central Canada via the railway did not bring all the expected benefits to the region; rather, it helped to make the province more economically dependent on Quebec and Ontario. The late 19th century witnessed the extensive industrialization of parts of Nova Scotia, but in general the early 20th century saw the consolidation of financial and industrial power in Montreal and Toronto . The extensive out-migration of Nova Scotians, mainly to the New England states and western Canada, was a sign of the troubled economy. During both of the 20th-century World Wars, Halifax played a key role in the transportation of men and supplies to Europe; the city experienced unprecedented prosperity as a result. During World War I , much of the city was destroyed when two ships collided in Halifax Harbour on Dec. 6, 1917. The collision resulted in the largest man-made explosion in history prior to the advent of the atomic bomb.

More than 1,500 Haligonians were killed. At the turn of the 21st century, Nova Scotia’s population and economy continued to experience modest growth. The large potential of offshore gas reserves and an expanding technology-based industrial sector augured well for the future of the province, as did the tourism industry. However, increasing difficulties posed by border security and the high cost of gasoline led to a decline in the number of American tourists visiting the province. Nova Scotia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) The sea is always close at hand in Nova Scotia, one of the four original Canadian provinces. Except for a narrow isthmus connecting it with New Brunswick, the province is surrounded by salt water. The Bay of Fundy, the Atlantic Ocean, or the Northumberland Strait is never more than 35 miles (56 kilometers) away from any spot in Canada’s "Ocean Playground." Noel, a village on the Minas Basin, has one of the world’s highest tides. The tides bring in fish, wash amethysts and agates from cliffs, and uncover dulse-a coarse red seaweed that when dried is eaten like popcorn.

Article Contributors Nova Scotia - State of Rural Canada 2015 State of Rural Canada 2015 What is the future of rural Canada? Welcome to the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation's examination of the State of Rural Canada in 2015 Nova Scotia Download Nova Scotia Chapter as PDF Introduction The province of Nova Scotia, and its rural communities, stand at the precipice. Change is imminent. In fact, the recent provincial Commission on Building Our New Economy, the Ivany Report1, decreed that change must happen. The only questions are what types of changes and when to implement them. The Ivany Report states the changes needs to take place immediately. Rural communities are confronted with a series of economic and demographic challenges, yet there is a renewed energy at the local and regional levels to move rural communities and rural regions forward. This chapter outlines the key demographic trends taking place in rural Nova Scotia, the local government systems, the rural economy, and rural infrastructure and services. The chapter concludes with three recommendations for strengthening rural Nova Scotia. Demographics and Human Capital Development Nova Scotia is among Canada’s most rural provinces.

In the 2011 National Household Survey 43% of the province’s population resided in census rural, communities with a population of less than 1,000 and outside areas with 400 people per square kilometre2. Rural communities can be found throughout the province, both along the coast and inland. Although Nova Scotia has a high proportion of residents in rural communities, recent demographic shifts are changing rural populations. Rural Nova Scotia is experiencing three key demographic shifts. Similar to other Canadian provinces, Nova Scotia is witnessing a shift of population from rural communities to urban communities. From 2010-2014, the only two counties in Nova Scotia experienced a growth in total population: Halifax and Hants3 (see Figure 1). The further the distance away from the provincial capital and central region of the province, the greater the population loss. The demographic shift phenomenon taking place in rural Nova Scotia is not new, having been documented sine the early 1990s4. In addition to the rural to urban migration trend, the province is witnessing an increase in the proportion of the population exceeding 65 years of age. The out-migration of youth and younger workers contributes substantially to this trend.

Currently, Nova Scotia has the second oldest population in Canada1. The aging population has implications for succession planning, opportunities for youth, volunteerism, and community dynamics in general. Issues of youth out-migration have been key challenges in many rural communities throughout the province5. Compounding both the rural-urban and the aging trends is the fact that the province is witnessing an absolute decline in the total population. The Ivany Report1 suggests the province’s total population could decline by 5% by 2038. This proposed decline would undoubtedly impact rural communities greater than urban communities. The Ivany Report states, “Nova Scotia is on the verge of a significant and prolonged decline in our standard of living, in the quality of our public services and amenities, and in our population base, most seriously in the rural regions of the province.” Governance Four types of organizations represent local government in Nova Scotia: 2 regional municipalities (Halifax Regional Municipality and Cape Breton Regional Municipality), 31 towns, 21 rural municipalities, and 22 villages. The latter three types of local government are predominantly rural. The past decade has seen witness to a series of discussions regarding the roles and responsibilities of local government.

Local governments struggle to respond to ever increasing demands of residents for services such as water quality, transportation, recreation, and policing. Local governments are also the recipients of downloading from the provincial and federal governments. In the early 2010s, the Towns Task Force was created to make recommendations to address the challenges encountered by towns. The Towns Task Force made a series of recommendations, including that local government needs to have long-term sustainability, supports for regional service delivery, enhanced collaboration among local governments, and enhanced economic development strategies6. In 2011, the Province of Nova Scotia generated the first Financial Conditions Index of local governments ( ). The Financial Conditions Index compiles existing financial information for each local government on local government revenues, budgets, debt and capital. The Index examines the financial standing of each municipality and ranks each indicator on a three-point scale to indicate if the municipality meets the suggested level and the average of all municipalities. Many rural municipalities, towns, and villages have multiple indicators that do not meet the suggested level, indicating potential financial challenges. The Financial Conditions Index and the Towns Task Force both serve to examine rural realities and propose a new course forward for local government in Nova Scotia.

Economy The health of the Nova Scotia economy has been the center of much discussion over the past decade. The provincial economy, as described recently in the Ivany Report1, is at a tipping point. Others have described the economy as stagnant, dying, and on the verge of decline7,8. The previously discussed demographic dynamics play heavily on the economy of the province. The economy of rural communities continues to be focused on natural resources, such as agriculture and agri-food, fisheries/aquaculture, mining, and forestry. A select number of rural communities benefit greatly from manufacturing operations, such as the three Michelin tire production plants in Bridgewater, Pictou, and Waterville. The rural economy is one of two stories: rural coastal economies are generally in decline, while rural inland economies are stable or witnessing low growth1. Although rural communities have seen the economic output of natural resource-based industries, there tend to be fewer people directly employed. This is largely a response to increased computerization and mechanization. Recent reflections on the economy of Nova Scotia have all noted a need to diversify the economy. For rural Nova Scotia, the diversification of the economy has been an evolving task.

After nearly 20 years of operation, the regional development authorities (RDAs) were discontinued in 20129. Twelve RDAs provided coordination and leadership of local and regional economic development activities in all regions of Nova Scotia. In 2012, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency announced it would cease financial support of RDAs as federal services were predominantly available online and no longer required a regional champion. The discontinuance of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency funding led to their demise. In the wake of the elimination of the RDAs, the province of Nova Scotia created a Regional Enterprise Network (RENs) program in 2013. All communities in the province were invited to form a REN, with five formed to date. The RENs are to serve as a facilitator for business development, regional cooperation, and connection to provincial government departments. It is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of RENs to stimulating and diversifying the rural economy. Nova Scotia is home to a vibrant social sector and a dedicated labour pool of both volunteers and employees alike.

The provincial volunteer rate is higher than the national average by 7.7%, and collectively, in 2013, the province contributed a higher annual average amount of volunteer hours than any province in Canada10. Morale within the social sector is also positive, as 96% of non-profit workers in Nova Scotia are strongly committed to the mandate of the organization that they work for. This is 10% higher than the national average, though it does not exempt the provincial social sector from the same economic trends that spur on outmigration from the province in other sectors. The cooperative sector is especially active in rural Nova Scotia. The quantity of cooperatives in urban areas is slightly higher, at 154, versus 136 in rural areas. Despite being fewer in numbers, rural co-ops generate 1.8 times the revenue, have three times as many members and twice as many employees, compared to urban cooperatives. In part, this may be due to the prevalence of agricultural and dairy cooperatives, such as Scotsburn or Farmers11. Like other parts of the Nova Scotian economy, the cooperative sector is in economic decline.

An annual report describing 2012 trends, by the Cooperatives Branch of Service Nova Scotia12, found that there were 367 fewer jobs in co-operatives and 1,587 fewer memberships than the previous year. In tandem with this trend, the annual income of co-operatives in the province has decreased. Social enterprise organizations, as organizations that operate using a business model in order to catalyze positive social or environmental change, are also an important part of the social economy in Nova Scotia, despite not having a well-defined or understood legal status in Canada. In 2013, there were 5,630 people employed with social enterprise organizations. The Nova Scotia Social Enterprise Sector Survey notes that this is a conservative estimate, as it only accounts for the 20% of all social enterprises that participated in the survey. The vast majority of social enterprises focus on a small geographic scale, such as the neighbourhood or community in which they were founded13. Infrastructure and Services Rural Nova Scotia, similar to rural jurisdictions throughout Canada, is encountering substantial infrastructural deficits and concerns regarding service provision.

It is not uncommon to hear stories in local newspapers regarding the quality infrastructure: roads, water and sewer pipes, and water testing facilities to name a few. Rural communities struggle with how to operate and maintain this infrastructure in light of out-migration and aging trends. Recent recommendations have focused on achieving cost effectiveness through service sharing agreements. The provision of services in rural communities is also impacted by the three population trends addressed earlier: out-migration, aging, and absolute decline. Reports of school closures, health service closures, and decreases in public transit are becoming more common. In light of service provision challenges rural Nova Scotia has a robust and increasing social economy, largely responding to the abdication of service provisions. Nova Scotia has a vibrant community of volunteers. In fact, Nova Scotia residents averaged the highest annual hours of volunteering in Canada at 18114. In June 2015, rural leaders from across the province gathered to draft the ‘Nova Scotian Rural Declaration’. The statement encourages both rural and urban Nova Scotians to tackle economic and demographic trends to achieve rural renewal.

Aboriginal Issues Almost 34,000 residents declared Aboriginal identity on the 2011 National Household Survey, as First Nation, Métis, or Inuit15. The Aboriginal population constitutes 2.7% of the province’s population. The province is home to 13 Mi’kmaw communities dispersed throughout the province. The Aboriginal population is considerably younger than Nova Scotia in general. The median age of Aboriginal Nova Scotians is 25.4 years compared to 41.6 years for the rest of the province16. The Aboriginal population encounters higher unemployment rates and lower educational attainment levels. Recommendations Based on the key demographic trends taking place in rural Nova Scotia, the local government systems, the rural economy, and rural infrastructure and services three recommendations are provided to strengthen rural Nova Scotia. Job Creation Strategies Employment opportunities are a key driver for rural revitalization and sustainability. A key driver of youth out-migration and adult out-migration is the lack of employment opportunities. Rural Nova Scotia needs to examine how to encourage new job creation opportunities that builds on the traditional industries and responds to the global economy.

Mechanisms to Encourage and Support Local/Regional Collaboration Rural Nova Scotia communities and the provincial government need to create and support existing mechanisms to encourage regional collaboration. As population dynamics continue to change, rural communities need to find avenues to explore collaboration, both formal and informal. Place-Based Approaches Although rural communities in Nova Scotia hold similar patterns, there is a great diversity of opportunities and challenges. Given such diversity, policy and programming needs to be crafted in a manner that recognizes local and regional differences. Province-wide strategies are bound to be ineffective in some regions. The precipice confronting rural Nova Scotia is clear. To avoid the precipice, attention needs to be paid to economic and demographic trends. How and when actions are taking to avoid the precipice is less clear. That being said, there is a tremendous momentum from rural community residents and leaders to chart a different future, one that leads to rural renewal. References Ivany, R. (2014). Now or never: An urgent call to action for Nova Scotians (The Report of the Nova Scotia Commission on Building our New Economy). Halifax: Government of Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada (2011). Population, urban and rural, by province and territory (Nova Scotia). Retrieved from .

Nova Scotia Finance and Treasury Board. (2015). Population changes by census division, 1976-2014. Halifax: Finance and Treasury Board, Government of Nova Scotia. Millward, H. (2005). Rural population change in Nova Scotia, 1991 – 2001: Bivariate and multivariate analysis of key drivers. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien, 3(2), 180–197. Harling Stalker, L., & Phyne, J. (2014). The social impact of out-migration: A case study from rural and small town Nova Scotia, Canada. Journal of Rural and Community Development, 9(3), 203–226. Towns Task Force. (2012). A Path to Municipal Viability. Halifax: Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. MacDonald, M. (2014, February). Halting Nova Scotia’s economic and population decline needs urgent action, report warns. The Globe and Mail. O’Connor, J. (2014, April).

Nova Scotia’s future looks grim as its economy stagnates, but for optimistic residents it remains the “time of our lives.” National Post. Nova Scotia’s RDA Review Panel. (2012). Renewing Regional Economic Development in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, Government of Nova Scotia. Turcotte, M. (2015). Volunteering and charitable giving in Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Karaphillis, G. (2012). Economic Impact of the Co-operative Sector in Nova Scotia. Halifax: Mount St Vincent University. Cooperatives Branch, Service Nova Scotia. (2014). Annual report, activities of Nova Scotia cooperatives in 2012. Truro: Cooperatives Branch, Service Nova Scotia. Elson, P., Hall, P., Pronk, S., & Wamucii, P. (2014). Nova Scotia Social Enterprise Sector Survey. Halifax: Common Good Solutions. Statistics Canada (2013a). General social survey on giving, volunteering, and participating. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada. (2013b).

Aboriginal peoples in Canada: First Nations people, Métis, and Inuit. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Office of Aboriginal Affairs. (2015). Fact sheets and additional information. Retrieved 27 June 2015 from . Contributors Ryan Gibson is an assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s University. Ryan is a board member with Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network . Jo Fitzgibbons is an undergraduate student in the Department of Geography and International Development Studies at Saint Mary’s University. Nina R. Nunez is an undergraduate student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s University. Where is Nova Scotia province? / Where is Nova Scotia Located in The World? / Nova Scotia province Map - WorldAtlas.com Where is Nova Scotia, Canada? Location of province of Nova Scotia within Canada Nova Scotia is a province found in the nation of Canada . Home to 944,500 people, it is the 7th largest division in Canada in terms of population. Nova Scotia gained its current status as a province in the year 1867.

The government of Nova Scotia is lead by Stephen McNeil and is based in the province capital of Halifax (Population: 359,111). The most populous cities in Nova Scotia are: Halifax (Population: 359,111), Sydney (Population: 105,968), Dartmouth (Population: 101,343). Nova Scotia Province - Quick Facts Country

Question: What is the provincial capital of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia?
Answer: HALIFAX